The Middle of Nowhere
by ApplesAreForever
Summary: I watched many cliché movies where this girl fell for a really hot guy who was a playboy. He would then use her and then at the end of the movie, when she found out, she would fall to her knees asking why he did such a thing to her. Now, I was the one falling to my knees. He drove away, abandoning me in the middle of nowhere. Then, I met Naruto.


"You jerk!" I yelled, throwing my shoe at the shiny red hood of the car. "I can't believe you would do such a thing to me!" I could feel anger coursing through my veins, like something in me had snapped. I was never this angry before. My "boyfriend" had suggested going on a camping trip, and just as we stopped at the gas station in the middle of nowhere for more fuel, he ran into his ex. Apparently, he was cheating on me with her for a month now.

"After everything I've done for you!" I cried. I watched many cliché movies where this girl fell for a guy. He would then use her and then at the end, she would fall to her knees asking why he did such a thing to her. Now, I was the one falling to my knees. I felt thick, hot tears streaming down my cheeks. "Why?" I whispered. I realized that I was also to blame. I had fallen for a playboy. He had always been a ladies man.

As I looked up, I could see the car speeding away from where I was. "What's wrong with me?" I whispered to no one. "Why am I always the one getting played?" I slowly got up and retrieved my purple colored sneaker from the middle of the road. _At least I have my backpack. I guess I should just call Dad and ask him to pick me up._

I unzipped my backpack and found my cellphone. I had thought that things were already bad, but my phone was out of battery. _You're such an idiot! You should have listened to Dad and charged it before leaving, but your head was stuck in the clouds. _I tucked a strand of my midnight blue hair behind my ear. _How the hell am I supposed to get home? _

Suddenly my stomach growled. I turned around and luckily there was a faded sign that said "Mini Mart" to greet my vision. I made my way towards it and opened the door. "CUSTOMER!" I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Oh sorry, it always makes that noise whenever someone opens the door," a blond guy, about my age, apologized. "It was supposed to be the sound of a bell ringing, but I installed the wrong one. I'm too lazy to change it." He was extremely good looking and had really bright cerulean eyes. I would have blushed, if I weren't so depressed. I offered him a weak smile and then explored the store.

I picked up a bottle of water and a smoked chicken sandwich. _I guess this should be enough. I'm not even feeling hungry. _I walked to the counter, paid the handsome blond, went back outside, and sat down on a bench there. _Maybe a bus or taxi will come by and I can get home. _I managed to eat half of the sandwich. I would have said it was delicious, if I wasn't so depressed. Before I knew it, I started crying again.

"Hey are you wai—are you okay?" I heard. Blushing, I immediately looked up and saw the handsome blond from the store. I nodded and smiled.

"Y-yes, I'm fine."

"Oh? So then either your eyes are watering or you're crying tears of joy." He laughed. "I can tell that you're upset, and if you don't want to talk about it that's okay. I just came here to ask if you were waiting for someone to pick you up. It's not safe for a girl like you to be out here at his hour."

"I was h-hoping that a bus or taxi w-would come by," I softly said, wiping away any tears that I had. The blond looked at me and burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! You're funny!" He chuckled. "You don't get out much huh? There aren't any nearby bus stops here and taxis most certainly don't come by this way." He sat down next to me. "Does it have anything to do with the mean looking guy in the fancy red car?"

I looked at him, shocked. "H-how did you k-know?"

"Please, you threw one of your shoes at the hood. I think everyone here saw that."

I felt my eyes moving away from his face to gaze at the ground. "I-I guess I d-did look like a mad troll."

"Hahaha! Mad troll! You're funny! So you're just going to stay out here the whole night?"

"I-I can't go anywhere else."

"Is your phone out of battery?"

_Is this guy psychic or something? _He laughed as if he could read my mind. "You can use my phone," He offered fishing it out of his pocket.

"N-no, i-it's okay. You d-don't have to waste your balance on me," I stammered.

"It's not wasting when someone really needs it." He grinned and pushed it into my hands.

"T-thank you," I said. I punched in my dad's phone number. It rang a couple of times and then it went to voice mail. He was probably busy. The poor man had to work so hard to provide for my younger sister and me. "Hello Dad, it's me, Hinata. I'm…I…We're having a great time! We're roasting marshmallows now! I'm eating one on your behalf. Okay bye!" I lied, hanging up.

"You couldn't tell him, could you?"

"I don't w-want to worry him. H-he has a-a lot on his mind right now."

Naruto nodded. "Well, why don't you come inside? You can stay here for the night and then we can figure out what to do in the morning."

My eyes widened. "P-people actually live here?"

"I actually work here part time. Since it's in the middle of nowhere, I stay here for the night with the man and the wife who run this place."

I gazed at him with admiration. "All the way here just to work part-time?"

"Yeah…I have to make a living somehow. Besides, this place has a significant meaning to me. Now let's go inside!"

_Special meaning huh? _"I-I don't want to intrude."

"Nonsense!" Naruto grinned. _Gosh, he looks so handsome._ "Old man and old lady are extremely nice! They have hearts bigger than the entire universe! Follow me." Before I could say anything else, he picked up my violet backpack and swung one of the straps around his shoulder. I hesitantly got up and followed him to a house behind the garage area of the gas station. I was expecting it to be small and cramped, but I was surprised to see that the house was actually quite big. The living room was designed with modern couches behind a television. In the next room there was a dining table already set with polished silver cutlery and shiny dishes.

"Naruto did you bring her inside?" A woman's voice called.

"Yup!" Naruto chirped. "What's for dinner old lady?"

"Quit calling me that or you're going to get leftovers!" The lady yelled. She came outside the kitchen clutching a ladle. She had auburn hair and beautiful green eyes. She looked middle-aged, not old, like Naruto called her. Her expression immediately softened when she saw me. "Hello there dear, make yourself at home."

"T-thank you so much!" I said, bowing.

"It's no problem dear. What's your name?"

"H-hinata. Hinata Hyuga."

"What a pretty name! I'm Natsu Suekane."

"Nice to meet you. W-Would you like some help?"

"My, such good manners you have. Unlike a certain someone here." She glared at Naruto.

"Hey!" He groaned. "Where's the old man?"

"He's trying to fix something in the garage. Why don't you go see how he's doing?"

"Okay!" Naruto said, propping my backpack against a wall and dashing outside.

"Come inside dear. You can help me make some meatballs."

X X X

"Wow, both of you managed to make so many meatballs!" Mr. Suekane complimented, picking the biggest out of the dish of spaghetti.

"Don't be so greedy!" Mrs. Suekane scolded. "Leave some for the rest of us too!"

"Geez. Hinata, when you get married, don't become so naggy like her. Honestly, first my mother and now my wife." Mr. Suekane laughed.

"Men these days," Mrs. Suekane muttered.

The spaghetti Mrs. Suekane had made was delicious. She had made the actual noodles and the sauce from scratch. There was also homemade bread and a salad accompanying the meal.

After we had all finished, Mrs. Suekane showed me to a room.

"This will be your room for tonight dear. If you need anything, just let me know okay? Don't be shy! Good night!"

"Thank you so much!" I said, bowing. I turned and examined the room. There was a singular bed and a table beside it. I fished my nightclothes from my backpack, slipped into them, and lay down on the bed. I was welcomed by it's softness and warmth. As I lay breathing I could hear Naruto's voice as he chattered away with Mr. Suekane. I moved myself so I was facing my backpack. Then I slowly got up, took my wallet out, and opened it. The smiling faces of me and Tomoki, my now ex-boyfriend, stared at me. I lay back down on the bed, staring at the photo. A single tear fell from one of my eyes. "After all I did for you…" I whispered to no one in particular.

X X X

"_Tomoki! I have a surprise for you!" I yelled. I had wanted to make Tomoki happy, so I used up all my allowance to buy him a video game he was recently always talking about. _

"_What now?" He asked, annoyed._

"_Close your eyes and open your hands." He sighed, but he did it anyways. I placed the badly wrapped box in his hands._

"_Okay, now you can open them." _

"_What is this?" He shook the box up and down, and then he tore through the giftwrap. "No. Way. No way! You are freaking awesome!" He pulled me into a warm embrace and kissed my cheek. "What would I do without you?"_

X X X

I opened my eyes and looked at the clock. _It's 12:25. I was only asleep for 2 hours. _I lay awake in bed, unable to go back to sleep. I looked at my wallet and without thinking I grabbed it and went outside. The cool fresh air hit my face, making my bangs sway. I sat down on the same bench where Naruto found me and slipped the picture out of the wallet.

"You were played, huh?" Naruto suddenly asked, making me jump. I blushed and then I nodded. "Is that him?" He pointed to the picture.

"Y-Yes. His name is Tomoki." I couldn't help it. I started crying again. Naruto sat down next to me and put his arm around me.

"I know it's hard to believe people when they say that they know how you feel, but I actually do know how you feel."

I looked up at him with tears streaming down my face. Gosh, I must have looked like such a wreck. "Y-You do?"

He nodded. "I used to have a girlfriend named Akane. Man, I was head over heals over her. I used to buy her presents and I tried my best to be the perfect boyfriend for her. If she was upset, I would never give up trying to make her happy." Then Naruto's face went dark. "But then she started seeing this other guy and she dumped me. And I wondered what was wrong with me, why she dumped me after everything I did for her." He looked hurt, like he was going to break down any moment. He noticed by worried expression and grinned. "But I've pretty much gotten over her. She was a mega playgirl anyway. She's had lots of boyfriends before me."

_He looks like he needs more comforting than me. _I blushed and put my arm around him as well. "W-we both got played."

"Yup." He turned and looked at me. "But you can't keep crying forever, you know. Life goes on, and you have to move on with it." He smiled.

For the millionth time, I looked at the grinning faces of Tomoki and me. I slowly detached myself from Naruto, gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder and stood up. I gently ripped the photo to pieces. Then, holding them in a clenched first, I slowly extended my arm, and opened my hand. The pieces tickled my skin as they left my hand to join the wind.

"Thank you, Naruto." I smiled, turning around to face Naruto. "You only met me a few hours ago, but you've helped me more than anyone has ever helped me in my life."

Naruto chuckled and scratched his hair. "Hehe I'm glad to be of service. Now let's go back inside and get some rest, okay?."

I nodded and we both went inside. I had this heavy yet cheerful kind of emotion inside of me. I felt like dancing and singing, but at the same time I felt a certain longing. At first, I thought this was the kind of feeling you get when you let someone go. I lay down and closed my eyes. Then I opened them and sat up in bed with a start. I had fallen in love with Naruto.

X X X

"Up so early Hinata?" Mrs. Suekane asked as I walked into the kitchen that morning.

"I-I thought that I could give you a hand with making breakfast."

"My, such a sweet child you are. Okay then. I'll make some eggs. Think you could help me fry some sausages?"

"Y-Yes!" I was extremely happy to help. After all, it was the least I could do after everything they had done for me. I heated up a pan with oil and placed some sausages on it to fry. Once they started frying, the smell filled the kitchen, making my stomach growl. For a second I thought that my mouth was on the verge of watering.

"You poor thing. I can only imagine what it feels like to be dumped. My husband and I have been together since we were children."

I looked at her in amazement. "W-wow! That's like true love!" She smiled and I looked at the frying succulent sausages.

"That boy sure has some nerve leaving you in the middle of nowhere and running off."

"I-I was angry at first. But now I'm glad. If he hadn't, then I w-would have never met you, or Mr. Suekane, or Naruto." I gave her a warm smile. I scooped the sausages off the pan and put them side-by-side on a plate.

"You know, Naruto got dumped at this very gas station too."

I was surprised. "W-What?"

She nodded. "He and his girlfriend were driving back to the city from somewhere and he stopped by for fuel." _Just like Tomoki and me. Only we were driving away from the city. _"While he was filling the car up, this other car came by with a man in it. The girl jumped in that car. I didn't actually hear what happened, but when she dumped him, she didn't seem to care. When they drove away, poor Naruto was left standing by himself. He didn't have enough money to pay for the fuel, so Mr. Suekane said that he could pay us back by working."

"S-so he's still trying to pay you back?"

"Not anymore. He paid us back a while ago. Now he actually has a part time job here. He says he likes the atmosphere. Plus he needs the money to pay for his college tuition."

I could feel myself drown in admiration for Naruto. No wonder he knew how I felt. He had gone through exactly the same thing as me.

"Morning!" Naruto yawned, coming inside the kitchen. After one look at him and I felt my face heating up.

"G-g-good m-morning." I replied. _What's wrong with me? Pull yourself together!_

"You're up early for once." Mrs. Suekane remarked. "We made sausages and fried eggs for breakfast."

"Woo hoo!" Naruto cheered, sitting down right next to me, causing my face to turn as red as a beetroot. He tucked in and turned to look at me. "I'll be driving you to the city today," he said, his mouth filled with egg and sausage. "We'll leave in an hour, so get ready."

I nodded and Mrs. Suekane hit Naruto gently with a spoon. "Don't speak with your mouth full!" She scolded.

"Okay, okay! Sorry!" Naruto apologized.

X X X

"Thank you so much!" I said for about the hundredth time, bowing.

"How many more times will you thank us? You are absolutely welcome!" Mr. Suekane laughed.

"Come visit us again sometime okay?" Mrs. Suekane said.

"Oi, Naruto, is your car ready?" Mr. Suekane called.

"Almost!" Naruto yelled from inside the garage.

"I'd better go check on him. There's something I need to talk to him about anyway." Mr. Suekane said, entering the garage.

Mrs. Suekane turned and looked at me. "You've got feelings for the boy, don't you?"

I blushed and looked at her. "H-how did you know?

She laughed and said, "Don't forget, I was your age once too." She gave me a pat on the shoulder. "If there's one thing I learned, it's that you love someone, you should tell them how you feel."

I looked at the ground. "B-but I'm worried. What if he doesn't feel the same way?"

She smiled. "At least he'll know how you feel. Besides, you don't want to live with the regret that you never told him. There's nothing to fear. Your heart will guide you."

I nodded. "Thank you so much! I think I have more confidence now." Just as I said that, Naruto drove out of the garage in his slightly dusty Volvo.

He opened the window and said, "Sorry, it's not as fancy as your ex-boyfriend's."

"N-no!" I immediately said. "I-it's perfect." Naruto smiled. I got in and sat next to Naruto. It was certainly a lot more comfortable than Tomoki's car.

"Thank you so much! Bye!" I said, waving.

"Take care!" Mr. and Mrs. Suekane cried. Naruto started the engine and then we drove off. I didn't stop waving until they were out of sight.

I sat back down and was hit by the sudden realization that I was alone with Naruto. I blushed again.

"It's a good thing you stopped waving. If you waved anymore then your arm would fall off." Naruto laughed. I couldn't help it and laughed too.

We drove past vast, empty green fields. The sight was familiar because Tomoki and I past the same fields on the way to the camping sight which I never actually got to see. He had said it was a "surprise".

Naruto told me about his college classes and about his friends. I nodded and listened but my mind was fixed on what Mrs. Suekane said. I had to tell Naruto about how I felt. Soon, we reached a sign that pointed to the city. We only had 50km to go.

"Wow! We're almost there! And it's almost lunchtime! Old lady packed us a lunch. Let's take a pit stop and eat! I'm starving!" I laughed and nodded. Naruto parked the car at the side of the road and then we both got off. I grabbed the basket where Mrs. Suekane left the food in. In the basket I saw that there was a crisp white sheet, a ton of submarine sandwiches, and two bottles for each of us. "Bless that woman," I said showing Naruto the contents of the basket.

"She's awesome!" Naruto said, taking the sheet out and laying it on the grass. I put the picnic basket in the center. We both sat down, took out a sandwich each, and started eating. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I was halfway through my third sandwich. All of a sudden I remembered what Mrs. Suekane said. _"If there's one thing I learned, it's that if you love someone, you should tell them how you feel... you don't want to live with the regret that you never told him. "_

"N-naruto, there's something I need to tell you."

"Yeah. What is it?" Naruto asked, gobbling up his fifth sandwich. _Gosh he looks so cute like that! Wait, focus Hinata! You idiot! _Naruto looked at me, grinned, and then took a big gulp of his orange juice. "Man, that was fresh!" Naruto said, wiping his mouth.

I could feel my face heating up and I started to feel a bit dizzy. I was turning as red as a cherry tomato. "I k-know that we just met y-yesterday, and that we may not know each other very w-well, but I…I think I've fall—" I was cut off by the sound of the motor from another car. I knew that sound anywhere. We both looked towards the road and saw a fancy red sports car stopping in front of Naruto's car.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Hinata. You know, the shoe that you threw at my car left a bit of a dent." Tomoki said, opening the door. The other girl was sitting inside, smirking at me.

"What do you want Tomoki?" I said, slowly getting up. He looked towards Naruto.

"What's this? Oh, you've found yourself a shoulder to cry on. Is this his car?" He made a disgusted expression.

I gritted my teeth. "Get lost." I reached out and pushed him. He stumbled a bit, but didn't fall.

"You bitch." He glared at me and then, glanced at Naruto and smirked. "You really will latch onto someone as pathetic as that just to get a bit of sympathy." By now I had had enough. Who did he think he was? I balled up my fists and punched Tomoki in the jaw. He swore and staggered.

"Don't you dare say anything against Naruto! He helped me when I was abandoned by you." I punched him again, but this time in the stomach. "I can't believe I fell for someone like you. Now I love someone else, someone much kinder than the likes of you. He may not have as much money as you, he may not have a fancy car, but he's definitely no playboy. He appreciates me. He's done so much for me even though we only met each other yesterday."

"Tomoki, let's go!" The girl in his car whined. Tomoki stared at me with wide eyes. It was like he couldn't believe that the girl who was so shy, and so quiet could have this kind of side to her. He opened the boot of his car and threw my sleeping bag at me.

"You forgot that, bitch," he said closing the boot. At that instant, Naruto was in between us. He had grabbed Tomoki by the shirt. I just realized how small and pathetic Tomoki looked compared to Naruto. It also hit me that Tomoki was nothing but a pampered, spoilt, brat.

Naruto glared at Tomoki. "People that throw stuff at my girl and call her names are not let off easy. I suggest you get lost before I lose my cool." He let go of Tomoki's shirt. Tomoki staggered backwards for a second, but then he quickly scampered to the door of his car, got in, and drove away. Naruto turned to look at me. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." I blushed. _He said that I was his girl. His girl! _"T-thank you!"

"Was that what you wanted to tell me?" Naruto asked, getting closer.

"Huh?"

"That you've fallen in love with me?"

I thought I felt my ears start to turn red too. I smiled and looked at the ground. "Y-yes."

The next thing I knew was that there were two strong arms around me. Naruto held me against his chest. "You know what? I think I've fallen in love with you too," he said. At that moment, I felt as light as a bubble. I had fallen for someone who appreciated me for who I was, someone who I could appreciate too. Naruto must have felt the same because then he softly kissed me. Afterwards, we just stood, holding each other, right in the middle of nowhere.

"You know," I said, "You're the only one who has ever seen me as a mad troll twice in a couple of hours."

Naruto laughed. "I must be the luckiest man alive." Then he kissed me again.

THE END

**Author's Note: That's all! I hope you enjoyed it! ^_^ I won't bore you all by saying, "The inspiration for this story blah blah blah." Please leave a review for any questions, comments, and concerns you may have about the story. I adore feedback! :D Thanks so much for reading the story! XD**

**Naruto and all characters © Masashi Kishimoto (Who is one of my gods). **


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